Electric-motor truck.



No. 633,7l3. Patented Sept. 26, I899. W. E. BOUGHTON.

ELECTRIC MOTOR TRUCK.

(Application filed Sept. 12, 1898.)

Maw

NY ME KL (No Model.)

W/7'NESSE ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIQE.

WILFRED E. BOUGHTON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, OF OHIO.

' ELECTRIC-MOTOR TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,713, datedSeptember 26, 1899.

Application filed Septemb r 12, 1898. Serial No. 690;747. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: a superstructure disconnected entirely fromBe itknownthatl,IVILFREDE.BOUGHTON, said substructure and adapted to besepaof Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia rated therefrom by amere raising of the carand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a body,so that the motors may be inspected and 5 new and useful Improvement inElectric-Morepaired from above or an axle and its parts tor Trucks, ofwhich the following is a full, readily replaced. In my improvedstructure clear, and exact description, reference being the substructureand superstructure are dehad to the accompanying drawing, which tachablyconnected in servicethat is, the forms a part of this specification.connection between the two structures is of to My invention relates tothat class of trucks such a nature that the mere removal of-a few forelectric-railway vehicles which are adaptfastenin gs will without thenecessity of altered to carry electric motors for propelling the ing thelongitudinal or lateral positions of vehicle; and it consists of acertain improved any of the main parts enable the structuresconstruction, which, with the purposes to be to be vertically separated,as by lifting the 6 I5 gained thereby, will be hereinafter duly setsuperstructure.

forth. In trucks of this character it is neces- My invention furtherresides in the more sary to frequently examine and often to respecificcombination, construction, and armove the electric motors for thepurpose of rangement of parts to be more fully set forth repairs. It isalso necessary to remove one or in the following description, wherebywhile 20 more of the wheels from time to time as they maintaining theadvantages of my basic inflatten or wear out and replace the same withvention I am enabled to utilize themotorothers which are in goodcondition. sustaining bars of my substructure to stiffen It is oneobject of my invention to provide the truck as a whole, and whereby Iobtain a truck in which the construction is such that various otherminor advantages. 7 5 25 the motors can beveryreadilyinspected,han- Thedrawing accompanying and forming dled, or removed and the wheels bequickly part of this specification is a side elevation removed whennecessary. Ordinarily in reof a truck embodying the various features ofpairing electric motors it is customary to run my invention.

the vehicle over a pit so that the workman A represents the axle-boxes,and B is one 0 may reach the motor from below and make of the side bars,which is spring-supported whatever repairs or tests are necessary. Theupon said axle-boxes by means of semi-elliptic disadvantage of workingat the motors in this springs O, which at their centers rest on themanner is very obvious, for it is far easier to top of the axle-boxesand at their ends are do this work if the body of the vehicle isreconnected by links D or other suitable con- 8 3 5 moved, so that theworkman can work from nections to the side bars B.

above with plenty of light instead of from E represents one of thesill-plates to which below in semidarkness. In spite of this, howthebody of the vehicle is secured, and this ever, the use of pits is stillthe most usual way sill-plate I have shown supported from the ofreaching the motors, and this is due to the side bar B by semi-ellipticsprings F and F. 4o difficulties which have been found in provid- Theformer are fastened at their centers to ing a truck which, while beingstaunch, duthe two ends of the side bar, while links D rable, andeasy-riding, can be taken apart at or other suitable fastenings securethe ends little cost and in a short time. of the springs F to thesill-plates E. The

This is the general object of my invention, spring F is an invertedsemi-elliptic spring, 5

5 and to attain this object my invention resides which I have shownconnected at its center in the provision of atruck having such a contothe center of the sill-plate and at its ends struction that upon theremoval of a few fasto the side bar by links D tenings the motors,motor-sustaining bars, G represents yokes which are rigidly sewheels,axles, and axle-boxes form asubstruccured to side bars B and whichstraddle the 50 ture connected together, while the side bars, axle-boxesA. 1

yokes, springs, sill-plates, and car-body form I-I represents one of themotor-sustaining bars. These bars may support the motor in any of thespecific ways well known to the art.

I have indicated at I a support for a crossbar for whatis ordinarilyknown as the nose suspension. This,however,isobviouslyinr material toany part of my invention.

The motor-suspension bar is of sufficient length so that its ends pressoutwardly against the outer legs G of the yokes G, and this outwardthrust is transmitted by means of trusses J to the ends of the side barsand aid in supporting the same. These trusses may be detachable membersor they and the yokes may be cast integral with the side bars. Bolts 9connect the motor-sustaining bars to the inner legs G of the yoke, sothat, except for the thrust transmitted through trusses J by thedownward pressure at the ends of the side bars, the motor-sustainingbars are supported entirely by the bolts g.

It willbe seen that the motor-sustaining bars H, the axle-boxes A, theaxles, the wheels, and the motors form the substructure before referredto,while the side barsB,yokes G,springs Fand F, and sill-plates E, withthe car-body which they are intended to carry, are included in thesuperstructure. The only union be tween the super and sub structuresother than that normally efiected by gravity are the bolts 9. WVhenthese bolts are removed, there are no sockets, flanges, projectingparts, or other obstructions to prevent the upper structure from beingbodily lifted from the lower structure, allowing the utmost facility ofseparation and ease in the repair of the parts of the substructure, inthe parts of which all the elements which need frequent repair areincluded.

I prefer to connect the motor-sustaining bars H to the axle-boxes justbefore separating the parts, and to do this I provide a very simplemeans for this purpose comprising a small yoke a, forming part of theaxle-box A and having openings ct, which register with a hole providedin the bar H. Pins or bolts may be placed in these registering openingsjust prior to removing the bolts g, so that y when the major part of thevehicle is lifted a unitary structure is left behind. The parts are nowseparated in the best manner for in spection or repairs of the motors.If it is desired to renew a pair of wheels, it is now only necessary toblock up one of the motors and disconnect it from the axle and its endof the motor-sustaining bar from the axle-box to allow a pair of wheelsto be rolled away from the remaining parts.

lVhile I have shown and described an embodiment of my invention in theform of a preferred construction, I do not at all limit myself to thisspecific construction nor to the use of all the features of my inventionin a single truck, for the broad principles of my invention may becarried out in many different forms without departing outside the scopethereof.

Having thus described'niy invention, what I claim, and desire to protectby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a motor-truck, of a pair of side bars supportedby the axle-boxes, and a pair of motor-sustaining bars detachablyconnected to depending portions of said side oars, no portion of saidside bars or their depending portions being beneath the under side ofsaid motor-sustaining bars when said connections are detached.

2. In a motor-truck, the combination of side bars spring-supported fromthe axle-boxes, axle-box yokes carried by said side bars, motor-sustaining bars detachably connected to said yokes and serving asspreaders for the outer legs of the yokes, and trusses for supportingthe outer ends of said side bars from the outer legs of said yokes.

3. In a truck, side bars spring-supported from the axle-boxes, yokessecured to said side bars, and trusses rigidly secured to the ends ofthe side bars and the outside arms of the yokes,in combination withmotor-sustainin g side bars bearing against the outer legs of the yokesand detachably secured to the inner legs of. the yokes.

I. An electric-motor truck composed of the combination of asuperstructure supported on the axle-boxes and including the side bars,springs and sill-plates for supporting the carbody, a substructurecomprising the motors, motor-sustaining bars, axles and axle-boxes, saidsuperstructu re being vertically separable from said lower member, anddetachable fastenings between the superstructure and themotor-sustaining bars, normally upholding said motor sustaining bars andpreventing the aforesaid separation of the two members.

5. An electric-motor truck composed of the combination of asuperstructure supported on the axle-boxes and including the side bars,axle-box yokes, sill-plates, and springs, a substructure including themotors,motor-sustain-' ing bars, axles, and axle-boxes, saidsuperstructure being vertically separable from said substructure, andfastenings detachably connecting the motor-sustaining bars of thesubstructure and the axle-box yokes of the superstructure so as tonormally uphold saidmotor-sustaining bars and prevent the separation ofthe said superstructure and substructure.

6. An electric-motor truck,composed of the combination ofasuperstructure supported on the axle-boxes and including the side bars,axle-box yokes, sill-plates and springs, a substructure including themotors, motor-sustaining bars, axles, and axle-boxes, saidsuperstructure being vertically separable from said substructure,fastenings detachably connecting the motor-sustaining bars of thesubstructure and the inner legs of the axle-box yokes of thesuperstructure and normally upholding said motor-sustaining bars andpreventing the aforesaid separation of the two structures,saidmotor-sustaining bars extending to, and bearing against the outer legsof ioo the said yokes, and trusses between the ends of the side bars andthe outer yoke-legs.

7. In a truck, a pair of motor-sustaining bars supported by membersdepending from the side bars of the truck, and means for shifting thepoint of support for the motorsustaining bars from the depending membersto the axle-boxes of the truck.

8. In a truck, the combination of a pair of 10 side bars, depending legstherefrom, motor-

